Image forming apparatus, information processing apparatus, method of controlling the image forming apparatus and computer readable medium

Abstract

Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of presenting to a user movies that show operation steps for solving a maintenance event occurring in the apparatus without increasing the number of times the user needs to perform the operation of playing the movie. A CPU is configured to play a combination of a plurality of movies as a series of movies that show operation steps for solving a maintenance event occurring in the image forming apparatus. The CPU is further configured to determine a stop point at which the series of movies that is playing stops playing, based on stop point information set for each of the combination of the plurality of movies. The CPU is further configured to stop the series of movies that is playing at the determined stop point.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
 memory which stores a plurality of movies; 
 a storage medium which stores computer-executable instructions; and 
 one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage medium so as to: 
 play a first combination of the plurality of movies stored in the memory, wherein there are plural different combinations of the plurality of movies including the first combination and a second combination, wherein each different one of the plural combinations indicates operations for resolving a maintenance event that has occurred in the image forming apparatus, and wherein each different one of the plural combinations corresponds to a maintenance event; 
 determine a stop point at which to stop playing the first combination of movies that is being played, wherein the first combination and the second combination both include a common predetermined movie, and wherein the first combination is set to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie, whereas the second combination is set not to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie; and 
 stop playing the first combination of movies at the determined stop point. 
 
     
     
       2. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the storage medium and the one or more processors are further configured to resume the stopped first combination of plural movies from a head scene of a movie, the resumption being triggered by reception of a given instruction. 
 
     
     
       3. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising a display, wherein the display is configured to display, when the first combination of plural movies is stopped, an object that is used to give the given instruction to play the movie that has stop point information corresponding to the stop point, from the head scene of the movie. 
     
     
       4. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a storage which stores the plural combinations of the plurality of movies in association with each of a plurality of maintenance events; 
 wherein the storage medium and the one or more processors are further configured to identify a plurality of movies associated with a detection of a maintenance event based on information stored in the storage, and to play the identified plurality of movies. 
 
     
     
       5. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the storage further stores the combination of the plurality of movies and a play order in which the plurality of movies are played, and
 wherein the storage medium and the one or more processors are further configured to identify a plurality of movies associated with the detection of the maintenance event, and to play the identified plurality of movies in the play order. 
 
     
     
       6. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising:
 playing a first combination of a plurality of movies, wherein there are plural different combinations of the plurality of movies including the first combination and a second combination, wherein each different one of the plural combinations indicates operations for resolving a maintenance event that has occurred in the image forming apparatus, and wherein each different one of the plural combinations corresponds to a maintenance event; 
 determining a stop point at which to stop playing the first combination of movies that is being played, wherein the first combination and the second combination both include a common predetermined movie, and wherein the first combination is set to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie, whereas the second combination is set not to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie; and 
 stopping playing of the first combination of movies at the determined stop point. 
 
     
     
       7. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
 memory which stores a plurality of movies; 
 a storage medium which stores computer-executable instructions; and 
 one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage medium so as to: 
 play a first combination of the plurality of movies stored in the memory, wherein there are plural different combinations of the plurality of movies including the first combination and a second combination, wherein each different one of the plural combinations indicates operations for resolving a maintenance event that has occurred in an image forming apparatus coupled to the information processing apparatus, and wherein each different one of the plural combinations corresponds to a maintenance event; 
 determine a stop point at which to stop playing the first combination of movies that is being played, wherein the first combination and the second combination both include a common predetermined movie, and wherein the first combination is set to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie, whereas the second combination is set not to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie; and 
 stop playing the first combination of movies at the determined stop point. 
 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for causing a computer in an information processing apparatus to perform a method comprising:
 playing a first combination of a plurality of movies, wherein there are plural different combinations of the plurality of movies including the first combination and a second combination, wherein each different one of the plural combinations indicates operations for resolving a maintenance event that has occurred in an image forming apparatus coupled to the information processing apparatus, and wherein each different one of the plural combinations corresponds to a maintenance event; 
 determining a stop point at which to stop playing the first combination of movies that is being played, wherein the first combination and the second combination both include a common predetermined movie, and wherein the first combination is set to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie, whereas the second combination is set not to stop at the end of the common predetermined movie; and 
 stopping playing of the first combination of movies at the determined stop point.